


Patching Holes

by J_J_Janson



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 19:51:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7905451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_J_Janson/pseuds/J_J_Janson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events depicted in their A-rank support, Selena tries to make things up with Camilla with a gift and an apology.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Patching Holes

Selena’s hand was inches away from Camilla’s door, but she couldn’t bring herself to knock. Camilla must have known someone was outside, the armor Selena carried with her had clanked quite a bit as she climbed up the stairs to Camilla’s room. But the door remained still, and anyone behind it remained silent, leaving Selena to stew in her doubts.

The last time they had spoken, Camilla had threatened to cut Selena’s legs off if she tried to return to her homeland, and said she would rather keep Selena in her dungeon than let her leave. But Selena still remained loyal to her liege, and she wished to repair the divide her admission had created. Hopefully a gift and an apology would form the foundation for that bridge.

Finally, when Selena had finally worked up the courage to knock on the door, it opened for her. “I knew there was only one person who would wait outside my door without announcing herself.” Camilla stood in the doorway in all of her glory. Selena resisted the urge to stare. 

“I-um- I thought I’d bring you a gift, Lady Camilla.” Selena did her best to hide the suit of armor behind her back, although there was no chance Camilla would be surprised now.

“Why don’t you come in before you drop that noisy thing.” Camilla stepped aside to allow Selena to enter. When the door was slammed shut behind her, she tried not to shiver. “So? What is it?”

“Tadah,” Selena offered lamely as she held it up. It was a full suit of armor very similar in design to Camilla’s. However, there was a lot more to it. Whereas Camilla’s left her upper chest (and vital organs) exposed and lacked any protection below the waist, this suit of armor made up for those failings. The chest piece would cover Camilla from neck to hips, and the full suit of pants would protect the lower half of her body. It retained the style and flair of Camilla’s armor, while offering a level of protection usually reserved for men’s armor. “I, well I um, I bought a suit of armor that was roughly your size, but I had to modify it a bit. And style it to match how you like your armor. I thought you should have some extra protection, in case I’m not there to protect you.”

“In case you left me.”

Selena continued to avoid Camilla’s gaze. “Well, there could be lots of reasons why I’m not there. You could be in the air while I’m on the ground. You could be far ahead of me. I might be out shopping. Or,” Selena swallowed “I might have died already. I mean, I feel like I used up all of my luck long ago, and I’m only on borrowed time, so I could fall in battle at any time.”

Camilla raised an eyebrow. “And why have you used up all of your luck, rather than, say, me or Beruka? Or Elise’s Sir Arthur. He’s the most unfortunate soul I’ve ever met, that poor boy.”

Selena considered her words for a long time. “Lady Camilla, you see, this isn’t my first war. I doubt that surprises you too much, considering the level of skill I’ve had since I entered your service. You see, I fought in a war to save my homeland. No, that’s not entirely true. It would be more accurate to say that I delayed total slaughter. I lost my parents early on, and I grew up in a world where I could die at any moment. Somehow, I managed to survive long enough to-” Selena stopped for a moment, not knowing how to explain her trip to the past. “I survived long enough to save a land that wasn’t quite my homeland, but was close enough to give me some semblance of peace. That was two wars I fought. And shortly after that war was won, I entered your service.”

“You may be enthusiastic about combat at times,” Camilla said, reflecting on the delightful cackle Selena would sometimes loose when she defeated an enemy, “But you don’t seem the type to jump from one war to another. Especially if you want to go back to your homeland even now.”

‘Okay Selena, you can’t tell her the truth. If you share the real reason you’re here, you’ll disappear, and never get to go home. You have to come up with something. Quickly! If you take too long with an excuse she won’t believe it.’ These thoughts all ran through Selena’s head in an instant. Right after, she blurted “Because I heard the most beautiful woman in the world was in the kingdom of Nohr.”

Camilla was startled. Had Selena just called her the most beautiful woman in the world?

‘Thank you, Laslow. I’ve heard your dumb pick up lines so much I can spout them off on demand.’

“Well, I don’t love you just because you’re beautiful. I’m not like Laslow. You’re so strong, and loyal, and you’re always so kind and caring to the people who love you. When I see you hold Corrin’s head in your lap, or wrap Elise in a hug, or give Leo a kiss on the cheek, or put a blanket on Xander when he’s fallen asleep at his desk, I’m awed by how kind you are and jealous that I’ll never be spoiled by you like that. I’ve always loved when people spoil me, when I reunited with my father, I made him take me shopping and we-”

“You love me?”

Selena stopped. “I, I um, yeah. I mean, I love a lot of people. Like Laslow and Odin. And my parents. And my friends in my homeland.” 

Camilla appeared to be on the verge of tears. “I see.”

With a face as red as her hair, Selena continued. “But the way I love them is different from the way I love you. With them it’s. I dunno. I care about them from the bottom of my heart, I do. But, as you can see, I can bear being apart from them, at least for a time. But, even though I’ve always known I was going home, every time I think of leaving you here, of never seeing again,” Selena was now openly weeping. “It’s like my heart is being torn in two. When you told me about how you’d take the choice away from me and lock me in your dungeon forever, part of me rejoiced! I wouldn’t have to choose between you and my home, I wouldn’t have to abandon one or the other forever. Even thinking about it brings me to tears! But I fought so hard to protect them all, to save our world, and I just can’t leave them. It would be like losing them all over again, and my heart can’t take that. But if I left you, I would be leaving a piece of my heart here. And I don’t think I would ever recover from that wound.”

Without a word, Camilla swept Selena into a hug and let the other woman cry into her shoulder. “There there. I’m here for you now. We’re together now.”

“But I’m so scared of being with you now, because then it’ll hurt so much worse when I lose you.”

Camilla gave a noise of understanding. “Part of me feels that way. But I think that hurt is a good thing. It’s proof of how deep your love runs. That’s why I’ll continue to make the most of my time with my siblings and friends, so that when I leave them I’ll know that I loved them with my whole heart. And while it might hurt to leave them, they’ll know that I loved them, and even when we’re apart we’ll always have our memories.”

“Wait, Lady Camilla, what are you talking about? You’re leaving?”

“Yes. I wish to go to your homeland with you. If you’ll have me, of course.”

Selena tightened her grip on Camilla.

But she suddenly released it and stepped back. “I can’t do that. I can’t take you away from your family just so that I can be with mine.” 

Because Selena refused to meet her eyes, Camilla put her hand under Selena’s chin and lifted her head so they were looking eye-to-eye. “I can sense it from the way you talk about them. You never really had a chance to be with your family, did you? You spent a great deal of time alone, and just when you were reunited, something called you here. I’ve had my time with my family, times that I will never forget. Times that kept me alive, even in my darkest moments. But just like you feel, I can’t bear our seperation. I’ve thought long and hard about it, and my threats, although I cannot ask you to forgive them, helped me realize something. I wanted so desperately for you to be together with me forever that I almost chased you away. And I think part of me wanted you to be chased away, so that you wouldn’t feel guilty leaving me. But I’m certain that, if I were with you, then I could be happy anywhere. I promise, I will make the most of my remaining time with everyone I’ll leave behind. Not just for me, but so that you know that you haven’t robbed me of anything.” 

Camilla went down on one knee. “Selena, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, wherever that takes us. Please, marry me.”

And Selena, laughing and crying all at once, threw herself upon Camilla and held her tight. 

 


End file.
